The present invention concerns an assembly for vehicles in the form of a loading mechanism with a movable platform attached to the floor of the movable base of a vehicle such as a tractor-trailer, a semi-trailer, a flatbed truck, a railway car, or the like, which carries merchandise or specialized freight, especially freight packed in units; the assembly can be modified at will to form either a second vertically movable loading deck or conventional empty loading space.
A vehicle which transports cargo or general freight, particularly a truck, a semi-trailer, or a trailer truck, is equipped with a loading deck which holds the containers, boxes, cartons, or other receptacles protecting the products being carried.
Such containers are packed as well as possible in the free interior space, arranged in stacks or piles juxtaposed within the cargo space available, in a fairly cohesive, compact unit for the sake of stability and efficient use of space.
If necessary, the containers are secured so they are not jostled as the truck travels along the road or due to acceleration, braking or centrifugal force.
It is generally recognized that having two loading surfaces not only increases freight capacity, but also facilitates loading the vehicle.
Providing a second loading deck that is movable and can be lowered to ground level also simplifies loading, as both loading and unloading can take place in the usual way from this position.
While these features are appealing, the posts supporting the movable intermediate loading deck interfere with loading operations.
In actuality, these supports interfere with both side and rear access. Optimum access during loading/unloading operations is essential, but the dual configuration systems with movable intermediate loading platforms which are presently in use do not provide good access, as they have fixed posts.